THE ROMANS
Agrippa, Marcus Vipsanius. Loyal friend of Octavian and his chief commander.
Antonia the Elder and Antonia the Younger. Antony’s daughters by Octavia.
Antonius, Lucius. Mark Antony’s brother.
Antonius, Marcus (Mark Antony). Caesar’s loyal general; member of the Second Triumvirate with Octavian and Lepidus; husband of, among others, Fulvia and Octavia and lover of Cleopatra.
Antyllus. Antony’s son by Fulvia.
Atia. Niece of Julius Caesar and mother of Octavian and Octavia.
Aurelia. Mother of Julius Caesar.
Brutus, Decimus. One of Caesar’s murderers and later governor of Cisalpine Gaul and opponent of Antony.
Brutus, Marcus Junius. Son of Servilia, rumored to be fathered by Julius Caesar and a ringleader of his assassins. Also a nephew of Cato the Younger.
Caesar, Gaius Julius. Politician, general and author; member of the First Triumvirate and later dictator for life; father of Julia and of Cleopatra’s son Caesarion.
Calpurnia. Daughter of Piso and wife of Julius Caesar.
Canidius Crassus, Publius. One of Antony’s chief generals, faithful to him to the end.
Cassius Longinus, Caius. With Marcus Brutus a ringleader of the plot to kill Caesar.
Catiline, Lucius. Demagogue and instigator of a conspiracy.
Cato, Marcus Porcius (Cato the Younger). Republican, constitutionalist and guardian of old moral values.
Cicero, Marcus Tullius. Politician, author, orator and defender of republican orthodoxies.
Cinna, Lucius Cornelius. Politician, later ally of Marius.
Clodia. One of the sisters of Clodius, with whom she is said to have committed incest.
Clodia. Daughter of Clodius and Fulvia, stepdaughter of Antony and first wife of Octavian.
Clodius Pulcher, Publius. Demagogue, street fighter and husband of Fulvia.
Cornelia. Daughter of Cinna and first wife of Julius Caesar.
Cornelia. Wife of Publius Crassus and later of Pompey the Great.
Crassus, Marcus Licinius. Richest man in Rome; member of the First Triumvirate; killed at Carrhae fighting the Parthians.
Crassus, Publius. Son of Marcus Licinius Crassus; also killed at Carrhae.
Curio, Gaius Scribonius. Politician, youthful friend of Antony and Clodius and second husband of Fulvia.
Dellius, Quintus. One of Antony’s leading generals and advisers who later defected to Octa-vian.
Enobarbus (Ahenobarbus), Lucius Domitius. Republican and later ally of Antony before defecting to Octavian.
Fulvia. Politically ambitious wife of, successively, Clodius, Curio and Antony.
Gabinius, Aulus. Politician, general and Roman governor of Syria.
Julia. Daughter of Julius Caesar by Cornelia and wife of Pompey the Great.
Julia. Mother of Antony.
Julia. Daughter of Octavian and Scribonia.
Labienus, Quintus. Former republican; later in the pay of the Parthians.
Lepidus, Marcus Aemilius. Politician and Caesar’s master of horse; later member with Antony and Octavian of the Second Triumvirate.
Livia. Third wife of Octavian.
Marius, Gaius. General and politician; Julius Caesar’s uncle by marriage.
Milo, Titus Annius. Politician, street fighter and enemy of Clodius.
Octavia. Sister of Octavian; later wife of Antony and mother of two daughters by him.
Octavian. Caesar’s great-nephew and heir; member of the Second Triumvirate with Antony and Lepidus and later the Emperor Augustus.
Piso, Calpurnius Lucius. Politician and Caesar’s father-in-law.
Pompeia. Granddaughter of Sulla and second wife of Julius Caesar.
Pompeius, Gnaeus. Elder son of Pompey the Great.
Pompeius Magnus, Gnaeus (Pompey the Great). Politician, general, “conqueror of the east,” member of the First Triumvirate with Caesar and Crassus, later leader of the republican army against Caesar.
Pompeius, Sextus. Younger son of Pompey the Great; opponent of the Second Triumvirate.
Rabirius Postumus. Roman banker who lent money to Cleopatra’s father, Auletes.
Scribonia. Relative of Sextus Pompeius, Octavian’s second wife and mother of their daughter, Julia.
Servilia. Caesar’s mistress and mother of Marcus Brutus.
Sosius, Gaius. Politician, general and ally of Antony.
Sulla, Lucius Cornelius. General and politician; the first man to bring the legions onto Rome’s streets; later dictator.
THE PTOLEMIES
Alexander Helios. Cleopatra VII’s elder son by Antony and twin brother of Cleopatra Selene.
Arsinoe. Younger half sister of Cleopatra VII.
Auletes (Ptolemy XII). Father of Cleopatra VII.
Berenike IV. Elder sister of Cleopatra VII.
Caesarion (Ptolemy XV of Egypt). Cleopatra VII’s son by Julius Caesar.
Cleopatra V. Wife of Ptolemy XII and probable mother of Cleopatra VII.
Cleopatra VI. Elder sister of Cleopatra VII.
Cleopatra VII. Final queen of the Ptolemaic dynasty.
Cleopatra Selene. Cleopatra VII’s daughter by Antony and twin sister of Alexander Helios.
Ptolemy XIII. Younger half brother of Cleopatra VII and her co-ruler; killed during the Alexandrian War.
Ptolemy XIV. Younger half brother of Cleopatra VII, her co-ruler, probably killed on her orders.
Ptolemy Philadelphus. Cleopatra VII’s younger son by Antony.
THE PTOLEMAIC COURT
Achillas. Military commander, member of Ptolemy XIII’s regency council and chief instigator of the assassination of Pompey the Great.
Ganymedes. Eunuch, military commander and adviser to Arsinoe.
Charmion. Cleopatra’s waiting woman.
Iras. Cleopatra’s waiting woman. Some modern scholars have suggested that Iras’ name derives from the Greek word for wool and means “wool-head,” suggesting that Iras may have been black and perhaps from Nubia.
Pothinus. Eunuch and member of Ptolemy XIII’s regency council.
Sosigenes. Celebrated astronomer from the Museon of Alexandria.
Theodotus. Professor of rhetoric and member of Ptolemy XIII’s regency council.
JUDEANS
Alexandra. Friend of Cleopatra and mother-in-law of Herod.
Antigonus. Nephew of Hyrcanus of Judaea and usurper of his throne.
Antipater. Minister to Hyrcanus of Judaea and father of Herod and Phasael.
Aristobolus. Grandson of Hyrcanus and son of Alexandra; probably murdered by Herod.
Herod. Son of Antipater and appointed king of Judaea by the Roman Senate.
Hyrcanus. Ruler of Judaea and member of the priestly Hasmonaean dynasty.
Mariamme. Granddaughter of Hyrcanus, daughter of Alexandra and wife of Herod.
Phasael. Son of Antipater, brother of Herod.
OTHERS
Amyntas. Appointed ruler of Galatia by Antony.
Artavasdes. King of Armenia.
Artavasdes. King of Media.
Bogud. King of Mauretania.
Eunoe. Queen of Mauretania and Caesar’s mistress.
Eurycles. Ruler of Sparta and later ally of Octavian.
Glaphyra. A princess of Cappadocia and reputed mistress of Antony.
Juba II, Numidian prince, later made king of Mauretania. Husband of Cleopatra Selene.
Malchus. King of the Nabataean Arabs.
Mithridates. King of Pontus.
Mithridates. King of Pergamum.
Nicomedes. King of Bithynia.
Orodes. King of Parthia.
Pacorus. Son of Orodes of Parthia.
Pharnaces. King of Pontus and son of Mithridates of Pontus.
Phraates. Son of Orodes of Parthia, whom he later murdered to take the throne.
Polemo. Appointed ruler of Pontus by Antony.
Vercingetorix. Chieftain of the Gauls.